Parliament's economic committee has backed changes to the law on technical requirements for products that would let key goods reach the market faster in a crisis if they're labelled "crisis-relevant products". MPs voted 12 in favour, 6 abstentions and none against at first reading.
The Council of Ministers filed the bill with parliament on 23 September. Deputy economy minister Mihaela Karadimova told the committee the goal is to get key products to market faster when supplies run short.
The law adds a new chapter called "Procedures in emergency situations". The lighter rules only kick in if the EU declares an internal market emergency, and they only apply to products the European Commission names as "crisis-relevant goods".
Such goods could be sold without the usual check by a notified body. The head of the State Agency for Metrological and Technical Surveillance would issue an order recognising approval already given by another EU country. The European Commission could also step in to make that approval valid across the whole EU.
These products would carry no conformity mark such as "CE", either during the crisis or after it ends. The maker would declare, at their own risk, that the product meets safety rules, and must state clearly in Bulgarian that it was sold as a "crisis-relevant product".
The changes bring in EU rules: the IMERA regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/2748 and Directive (EU) 2024/2749. The crisis procedure covers 15 pieces of EU sector law, including machinery (also for outdoor use), personal protective gear, gas appliances, lifts, radio equipment, electrical equipment, pressure vessels and equipment, cableways and construction products.
Those behind the bill say the Covid-19 pandemic showed how slow the normal process is and how it led to severe shortages of protective gear, medical equipment and machinery. Karadimova said the text does not touch the general rules on civil and commercial liability.
Boris Aladzhov of Vazrazhdane asked who would pay if a product from a non-EU country, let in under the lighter rules, turned out faulty and caused serious harm or death, and whether importers carry insurance. The economy ministry said the maker bears the main responsibility, and when the maker is outside the EU, it falls to the importer — but the law does not require importers to take out insurance.
Dzhipo Dzhipov of Democratic Bulgaria objected that the bill sets no clear deadlines or rules for what happens to the goods once the crisis ends. The ministry said the products covered vary too widely, from single-use masks to lifts and pressure vessels that last for years, so the same deadlines can't be fixed in advance.
Bulgaria must bring in the EU rules by 29 May 2026. That's a commitment under its 2026 action plan, which also sets 29 May 2026 as the deadline to transpose the rules.